The palace was built for Prince Albert of Anhalt-Dessau and was completed in 1780. Its owner simply referred to it as the »house« and at the time it was very modestly and solidly furnished. Apart from the decorative painting in the Banqueting Hall on the first floor, there was no artistic ornamentation anywhere in the house. Since January 1998 the house is the home of the administrative headquarters of the Kulturstiftung DessauWörlitz (KsDW).
The garden of Kühnau is delightfully situated towards the south of the Kühnau Lake. It was remodelled from 1805 onwards by the Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Anhalt-Dessau (1769-1814) who used existing structural elements of the landscape. The elongated, narrow garden was laid out along the Kühnau Lake with its artificial islands. It marks the western boundary of the »Garden Kingdom«.
The partially restored sections with the fruit plantations and the vineyard reveal the original character of the garden. An important point de vue of the garden is the Weinberg-Schlösschen (lit. Little Vineyard Palace) situated on top of a hill and built between 1818 and 1820 by Giacobo Pozzi. This is a neo-classical building with Italianised forms.
Smaller structures und sculptures complete the architectural picture of the garden. The design integrates both the neo-classical palace of Kühnau as well as the Neo-Romanesque/Byzantine church which was built between 1828 and 1830 as the first of its kind in Germany.
The Kulturstiftung DessauWoerlitz
Headquarters at Großkuehnau Palace
The mission of the Kulturstiftung DessauWörlitz is to preserve the Garden Kingdom including all its buildings, gardens and art collections, and to make them accessible to the public. more...
Photo Library
How to use our photo service
To protect our historic buildings and their contents, as well as the gardens and their status as exceptional cultural assets, photography as well as film and TV productions are not generally permitted. more...
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